One of the many games the Broncos looked at in preparation for Sunday’s regular-season opener in Jacksonville was the Jaguars’ season opener in 2009.

In many ways, the Broncos expect a rerun of sorts. In last year’s opener, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew had 21 carries, for 97 yards and a touchdown, to go with five receptions.

“Every time he touches the ball, I’m going to be concerned,” Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said Friday. ” . . . And they’re going to hand it to him, I would bet, no less than 30 times. . . . He may touch the ball 30, 35, 40 times. I don’t expect this year’s blueprint to be much different.”

Jones-Drew has pronounced himself healthy and says offseason reports he had knee troubles were false. He had just six carries in the preseason but figures to get plenty of work Sunday.

Last season, when he rushed for a career-high 1,391 yards to go with 15 touchdowns, Jones-Drew had three games in which he had at least 24 carries to go with at least four receptions.

The last time Jones-Drew faced the Broncos, in 2008, he finished with 125 yards rushing, a total that included a 46-yard touchdown run.

Royal treatment.

Though he touched the ball just once in the return game in the preseason, Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal is expected to at least return kickoffs Sunday against the Jaguars.

Rookie Perrish Cox is in line to be the punt returner.

The Broncos coaches have stressed the importance of handling the ball properly to all potential returners. Royal was one of the league leaders in punt returns last season at 11.2 yards per return. He returned a punt and a kickoff for a score against the Chargers.

“Any returner, when you put them back there in the regular season, you have to be able to trust them,” special-teams coach Mike Priefer said. “. . . Get the ball up the field, great ball security and get the ball back to the offense.”

Footnotes.

The Broncos held right tackle Ryan Harris (ankle) and safety Darcel McBath (forearm) out of practice all week. Neither will play Sunday. . . . Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (foot) was listed as questionable Friday (50-50 chance of playing), and tight end Daniel Graham (chest) and running back Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) were listed as probable (75 percent chance of playing). . . . The Jaguars have designated Sunday “teal day” and have asked fans to wear teal for the game. No word whether Tim Tebow’s No. 15 jersey comes in a teal model. Tebow is a longtime Jacksonville resident.

Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson had butterflies before Sunday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. It wasn't because of the big-name opponent, but rather his return from a 13-game injury absence and being stoked to rejoin a team in a playoff push and looking for its third postseason appearance in 10 years.